Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-14
THE KNIGHTS.
PowderIy Expresses Himself Emphat-
icaily in His Report Regarding
Socialism and Socialists.
General Secretary Litchman's Report
Shows an apparent Decrease In the
Membership Of the Order.
1t is Thought Powderly Gained a Great
Many Supporters by the Sentiments
Expressed IN Hts Il eporf,


board Of the Knights of Labor, said thi.
morning that the result of the vote in the
case of j. r. Buchanan, the rejected candi
date from DistrictAssembly8 SO of Denver al
given by the latter was false, and tha'
the vote was unanimous against Blu
chanan. The effect of Powderly's adj
dress yesterday has oeen generally
good, and it is thought he will
gain followers by the sentiments he
expressed. A prominent eastern Knight
says the dissatisfaction over the constitu-
ton Is much greater than the admins
tr&tlon men have any IDEA Of. The ants
would have TO poll tWo-thirds vote to
win. The principal point Of opposition
among the ants seems 70 be that they do
not like the idea of 8 general officer
holding an Office for two years term.
They also make claim that st least two
CT the present general officers, Secretary
Litchman aud Treasurer Turner are
wholly incompetent. The administration
delegates, asked in regard to the matter,
state emphatically that the charges OF
incomptency made against them are en-
tirely without foudation. They say two
BETTER MEN FOR THE POSITION
named could not be found. It is
evident that the two factions are in con-
tinual fear of each other. The fact that
lengthy secret caucuses are held nightly
goes long way to sustain this belief.
General Secretary Litchm6n presented
Dis report to-day. 1t was very voIumin-
Gus. Following is a short synopsis:
The number of members reported in
good standing at the last session of the
general assembly was 7O2, 924, and the
number Of members in arrears 2G, 1874.
This made the apparent membership of
the order, as then reported, 729, 677. The
large growth in the early part of 1886
will be remembered. People came into
the order By the hundred thousands; that
8 suspension of initiation for
forty days was ordered; after
the forty days had expired the rush again
began, and the result was to bring to the
order mass OF material that proved it.
self to be weakness rather than
strength, for six months following the
session OF the General Assembly st Rich
moud.
The papers OF the country have been
filed continually with assaults on the
order, and upon the general officers, and
everything possible has been done to dis
integrate and
DESTROY THE ORDER.
Yet, III spite Of all this opposition, the
total number of members in good stand
ing January l is $4,000. Add to this
nearly $4,000 who are in the same
relation to the order as were
the $3.50 reported as in arrears
upon the last report, and we would have
a membership of $50, 900 on July l, 1887.
This would indicate On apparent decrease
of about 50, 900 members.
Receipts for the fiscal year, ending
July l, are shown to be 1888, 731, giving
balance on hand OF $50,568.
Consideration OF the question OF estab-
fishing 8 cooperative savings association
was recommended; also that state assem-
blies be made
COMPULSORY AND NOT PERMTssIvE.
The General Assembly at Richmond
after adopting certain amendments to the
constitution, referred the balance of the
report of the committee on law, to-
gether with such other changes
as had been presented to the general ns-
semblY, to special committee of revis-
ion. It Was ordered that this committee,
in conjunction with the general executive
board. should prepare revision Of the
constitution snd submit il to vote of the
| locSl assemblies Of the order. The result
of the deliberatlon of this committee on
revision Was submitted to the local as
semblies as provided. Under the vote
under which the committee was appointed
| the assemblies were requested to vote
upon the constitution proper as a first
proposition and upon the article relating
to national trade assemblies as q second
| proposition. Returns from the local as
sem6lies showed that 1898 local assem-
blies voted yes on the first proposition and
| 1896 voted no; that 2342 local
assemblies voted yes on the second pro-
| position, and 962 voted no. Secretary
Litchman in concluding said, his Office
had been anything but bed of roses, and
that enemies among the order had perse-
cuted him.
MR.. POWDERLY AND THE ANARCHISTS.
| MINNEAPoLIs, MINI, Oct. THE fol-
lowing is the latter part of Mr.. Powder
| ly's report read to the convention yester-
day;
The question of my being & member of
the socialist organization has been made
the subject of so much comment that |
| believe it but fair to this General Assem-
bly, to make known my connec-
ton with the socialists, or rather
the men who in former years
were al the head of the Socialist party.
In 1880 Philip Van Patten, national secre-
tary of the Socialistic Labor party, was 8
member Of the general executive board of
the Knights Of Labor. I became very in
innate with him and we frequently dis
| cussed various measures of reform which
all men in the movement regarded as OF
Importance. He sent me a card OF mem
bership sometime about the month OF
August, 1880. The card was paid up by
him for three months. I regarded it as
complimentary on the part of Van Pat
ten. l saw that the declaration Of prin-
ciples OF the Knights of Labor contained
all the socialism that cared to advocate
and never took action on the card except
to keep it as memento of days when
we were associated as officers of the
association. ! never cast vote for the
candidates of that party; was never 8
member of any OF its sessions, and had no
connection with it except in the manner
related above The use Of firearms and
dynamite is not advocated by socialists.
The confscation of property or distribu-
ftion Of wealth, or in fact the bestoying
of wealth or means Of those who have not
worked and earned it Is not socialism,
IT Is ROBBERY, II Is RAPINE,
and no sane msn can advocate such G
doctrine. Ii believing in the declaration
OF principles Of the order makes OF me
socialist then have no de-
nIsls to make. That I am 8 mem
Der OF any other society in which
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